Big News!

It's been a little quiet on the Dubai front with L and H because our family has a TON of big news that we can finally share!

Baby H says, "We have something BIG to tell you!"

1.  My amazing sister has accepted a position as assistant professor at STANFORD UNIVERSITY Department of Chemical Engineering!  We're so thrilled for her and her husband, and I'm so proud to call her my sister.

Professor Auntie holding Baby L

2. My father is moving to Houston!  The he bought in Spring (just north of Houston proper) is 40 minutes from the house we own, and about 20 minutes from my company's main office.

So excited for Dad's retirement and move to TEXAS!!!

3. And finally - We are moving home!  I was offered (and accepted) a position in HR as a staffing advisor for projects, which is actually a dream job for me.  I used to say my job in Baytown was probably going to be the funnest job I'd ever had (is funnest even a word? Well, it is now!) but this job might be even more fun!  My job will literally be to talk to people about their jobs and help match them to the right next job. How cool is that? 

Baby H says "See? I told you it was BIG!"

There is a hugely sad part for us to leaving a year earlier than we planned.  Miss J, our live-in nanny, can't come with us.  If I could legally bring her with us, I would, but our options are very limited since she is a Filipina.  At best, I think I could bring her on a temporary work visa for a year or two, but then it would be very difficult for her to return to UAE, so it is with a heavy heart (and a lot of tears from L, Miss J, and me!) that we are working on finding her a new family that is hopefully as awesome as we are.  Silver lining is that if we end up moving to Vietnam (like we hope to one day), she can easily visit us there during her annual leave.  We are heartbroken since she has become a part of our family - she's so much more than just a helper and nanny.  She is a second mother to my girls, and she has taught me so much about parenting. I'm still struggling to imagine what our lives will be like without seeing her cheerful smile every morning. Especially since we hadn't planned on moving home for another year, I thought I'd have more time to mentally prepare myself.😢😢😢

Miss J snuggling Baby H

And Miss J with Baby L 18 months ago!

H and L will also have this in common - both were born overseas, and neither of them will remember where we were living when they were born.  H will be slightly older than L when we moved from Abu Dhabi to Dubai, but not by much! On the one hand, my friend reminded me that's it's good to be wanted by the company. On the other hand, it is slightly irritating that I have to have the anxiety and stress of moving during both of my maternity leaves.

Soaking up what's left of my maternity leave with my girls before the chaos of moving starts! 

We're also sad to be leaving our friends in Dubai. I remember during my maternity leave in Abu Dhabi, I felt pretty isolated because I knew I was leaving long before I delivered L -- so I didn't make much effort to make friends during our short time there. In Dubai, we settled in, made some really great friends, and will be very sad to leave them.

Enough about the bad parts of moving - we are so excited to be closer to the rest of our family (Miss J notwithstanding). With Dad moving to Houston, L & H will have both sets of grandparents and one set of aunties and uncles nearby to love on them. Plus the other auntie and uncle are only a short flight away in the Bay Area.

We're excited for cooler weather. And easily accessible pork. And easily accessible alcohol. And one-stop grocery shopping. And COSTCO!!!

We're excited to be in our own home again - our apartment has a phenomenal view of the Dubai Marina, but there is construction of a new building that will obstruct our view by the middle of next year. Plus we have AMAZING neighbors in Houston, so it will be wonderful to see them again and introduce them to our girls.

As all my friends and family know, change is really hard for me -- I like living in the bubble of uncertainty because uncertainty is like a world of possibility. Thankfully, I married a man who hates uncertainty, but can weather change like a champ -- and he has put up with my daily swings of excitement to go home and crying because we're leaving. G is my rock, and he is SUPER thrilled to go home!

There is so much that needs to happen between now and the big move (including a summer vacation to Italy!) and we will continue to share our journey back home!